Moon Cake
by LxZrulez
Summary: Fon is intent on celebrating the Harvest Moon's festival with his fellow Arcobaleno, and ultimately his special someone. Unfortunately, Viper has other ideas…namely staring at the moon and muttering about the stupidity of martial artists. But Fon has a secret weapon…Rose-flavored moon cake?


"Wan shang hao, wo de hao peng you," Fon said, smiling brilliantly. He held in his hands a platter of strange block-like cakes, each ones' honey-colored surface carved intricately. Each caramel surface glistened underneath the light tantalizingly. "Happy Harvest Moon's festival, everyone! Please take a _yue bing._"

"Re bin?" Skull repeated as he took one of the cakes, studying it curiously.

"_Yue bing. _Or moon cake, if you would rather call it that," Fon said as he offered the plate to the rest of the Arcobaleno. Luce beamed radiantly as she took one of the moon cakes and held it up to her nose, sniffing appreciatively.

"Oh, they smell _heavenly, _the shaman enthused as she took a small bite. "And they taste simply delectable!"

"The one you have is filled with green tea and red beans," Fon told her, the smile on his face just as rapturous as hers.

"_Do _try some, Reborn!" Luce exclaimed as she broke off a piece of her cake, turning towards the infallible hitman. Reborn took one look at Luce's shining face and sparkling eyes and sighed.

"No, Luce..," he began, but immediately changed his refusal into an "Alright, I'd love to" when Luce's happy expression faltered. At that, Luce practically radiated enough sunshine to burn through Antarctica. Reborn accepted the treat stoically, shooting a deadly glare at Skull as the stunstman began to giggle. Luce, of course, was completely oblivious to all this.

"It tastes delicious, doesn't it Reborn-kun?" Luce queried sweetly.

"It is," Reborn conceded, a small smile gracing his lips as he watched her with softer eyes. Colonello, who had formerly been dozing off, immediately brightened.

"If even picky Reborn admits it's good, it must taste great, kora!" the blonde declared as he took a cake for himself and Lal. Verde, too, took one, nodding his head appreciatively as the taste of rich date paste touched his tongue.

"What is this festival that you are celebrating?" Luce asked eagerly as the other Arcobaleno feasted on Fon's _yue bing_.

"Harvest Moon's festival. There is a legend about a beautiful girl who lives on the moon with her rabbit, which is the reason we eat these _yue bing,_" Fon told her. A derisive snort elicited both the shaman's as well as the martial artist's attention to Viper, who had previously escaped all attention sitting, statue-like, in one of the darker corners of the table.

"Muu, a rabbit on the moon?" the illusionist scoffed, shaking her head as she got up and strode for the doorway. "Just like you, Fon, to listen to such ridiculous stories."

"It's a beautiful fairytale," Fon said good-naturedly. Viper sneered and disappeared out the door, ignoring Luce's "Viper-chan, you should try some of this!"

Luce frowned and pursed her lips as she watched the small figure in the cloak disappear out the door. "Oh dear, I hope Viper-chan isn't too upset."

Fon smiled brightly. "No need to worry, Luce, I'll be sure to cheer her up."

Then he followed Viper out of the room, slipping a small box in his arms. Luce beamed after them. Reborn looked quizzically at her, questioning with his eyes.

"I can't believe they're growing up so quickly," Luce sniffed euphorically, leaving Reborn with a very confused look on his face.

"But Fon's barely a year younger than you."

"Oh, do shush Reborn-kun!" Luce said, pecking Reborn quickly on the cheek. The hitman decided it would probably be a good idea to oblige.

"Oh my God, Reborn is so _whipped!"_

_Bang!_

"Tch. Stupid lackey."

**oOo V oOo**

Viper sighed and sat herself down on the balcony railing, swinging her thin legs back and forth in a child-llike. The cold air really felt nice against her skin. It was peaceful outside, and the moon was exceptionally large and luminous tonight. Everything the moonlight touched was lit with a beautiful, pearl-like glow. The dark sky was studded with stars that paled in the brilliance of the full moon.

The illusionist burrowed herself into her cloak, shivering slightly. Yet she relished the chill that pressed itself so gently against her.

"Stupid Fon," she murmured to herself under her breath, picturing in her mind's eye that ridiculously large smile that had been stretched across her face. And yet she kind of liked that happy expression on his face, no matter how many times she claimed otherwise. "Always looking so cheerful."

"Well, you would hardly expect me to be all doom and gloom now, would you?" Fon's voice questioned pleasantly from over her shoulder. "You do know that negative feelings can shorten your lifespan, don't you?"

Viper almost jumped a foot in the air. "F-fon!"

"I am called that," Fon agreed with some amusement as Viper flushed heavily.

"Go away!" Viper screeched as she hopped off the railing, glaring daggers from underneath her heavy hood. "Or die!"

"If you wait for long enough I will be able to do both," Fon told her complacently, catching her frail hand before it could slap him upside the head. "But for now I am afraid I can't indulge you."

Viper's cheeks reddened further as she gritted her teeth and jerked away, deliberately avoiding his eyes.

Rough fingers slipped beneath her chin and tilted her face upwards, and chocolate brown eyes met violet and icy-blue ones with enough warmth to chase away all the cold that Viper was currently feeling. Fon leaned forward until his eyes were level with hers, silky black bangs hanging with surprising grace over tawny pupils.

"Viper," he whispered, his warm breath washing over her lips as his eyes seemed to grow wide with sadness, "I'm hurt. You did not eat any of the _yue bing _I brought."

Viper couldn't help but feel guilty at the look in his eyes; he looked like a kicked puppy. She turned away, trying to calm down the blush that was threatening to burst over her cheeks again.

"Please eat some, Viper _xiao jie_?" Fon pleaded, looking positively heartbroken. Viper cursed as her heart jumped in her chest.

"Pretty please? With red-bean paste on top?"

Okay, a whimpering Fon was definitely not good for her heart.

"M-muu…fine," Viper stammered petulantly, averting her gaze. Immediately Fon 's happy smile was back on his face, and he held out the box of _yue bing _to her. It was tied with a silken red bow, and it was with shaking, embarrassed hands that Viper sulkily accepted it.

"I hate you, Fon," Viper growled darkly. Fon positively beamed.

"Oh, don't say that. I got these especially for you."

"But did you have to _trick _me?" Viper demanded angrily, halfway done with working the bow apart.

"Of course," Fon said promptly, looking not the least bit shame-faced. "You wouldn't have accepted it otherwise."

Sadly, Viper had to admit it was true.

The moon cakes smelled very nice, Viper noticed. They also smelled very familiar.

"What flavor is it?" she asked curiously as she took one out of the box, examining the curious effect the moonbeams had on the moon cake's exterior.

"Rose," Fon told her as she took a small bite. The outside was flakier than the thick paste inside, which was mildly sweet and very fragrant. It truly tasted like what a rose would taste like, Viper thought, smiling despite herself.

"You like it?" Fon asked, observing with some smugness the small smile on Viper's glossy lips.

"Yes," Viper breathed as she took another small morsel into her mouth.

"I'm glad. I got it especially for you, after all," Fon said absently, gazing at her with a strange look in his eyes.

Viper paused. "…What is that supposed to mean?"

Fon smiled angelically. The moonbeams lit him with a celestial glow, giving him the appearance of a deity of heaven come down to earth. "A rose is considered a token of love, is it not?"

…

"Viper, are you _blushing?_"

"M-muu! D-die, you stupid Fon! Die! Die! Die! And give me all your money!"

**oOo V oOo**

**A/N: **I was supposed to publish this yesterday (yesterday was the Harvest Moon festival/Mid-Autumn festival, after all), but I completely forgot amidst all the moon cakes…Haha, I'm so airheaded. -gets shot-Anywaaaaaay…

I like rose moon cakes. They're yummy. And I was thinking about rose cakes, then roses, then how roses were a token of love, and voila, I got another FonxViper ficlet in the works~! And, like promised, I included more Luce, because Luce is so adorable and sweet and pretty. (Like a cookie. Or a flower. Whatever). And Skull got shot, just because I like to bully him.

Hope you liked~!


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